Everyday Chinese: 土豪 (tǔ háo)

土豪 (tǔ háo) is used to describe someone who’s extremely rich, and is often used to refer to China’s nouveaux riches.

The character 土 (tǔ) literally means “earth”, and is associated with China’s poor, unsophisticated rural areas. 豪 (háo) is part of the word 豪华 (háo huá) – luxurious.

Used together, the term conjures up images of uncouth, uncultured people from the countryside who have become rich overnight, and who love to flaunt their wealth in the most ostentatious manner possible.It’s also often used jokingly on friends.